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(is there anybody with) Plex on ATV3 ?

dwnldr

dwnldr

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 22, 2016
46
17
Slovakia
as i mentioned upper, im searching from somebody who is using Plex on Apple TV 3 (under Trailers tab).
I found some instructions on the web, also videos :


Regarding to comments and informations around the web, the method should be working without any problems. I would like to found somebody who has experinces with this option or is still active user.
I have some question in my head about this option...

Thanky you !
 
Dear schlotz, thank you for reply ! I am a Mac user since 15+ years, but i never try this "hack". Therefore are maybe my questions dumb, but i dont want ruin my library or make the whole system unstable-not usefull. So i better ask, if you gave me an option :


- is the configuration running stable ? (maybe like the HomeSharing from Mac iTunes, which im still using long long years)

- regarding to guide movies, i need to change the LAN connection parameters on ATV to link to server Mac with library. Is in this case the connection to Internet (YouTube, Apple events etc.) abandoned ? Also the AirPlay capability is gone ?

- i never used Plex, but regarding the informations Plex "library" can handle all the files without converting to iTunes friendly formats (one of the biggest cons of HomeSharing method). Is this right also in this case = it plays via ATV everything ? Are the files than (.avi, .mkv) processed on the server computer or in ATV just like in HomeSharing method ? If in computer, the i5 late2012 should hopefully handle this SILENTLY (the Mac used for Server), if in ATV is the power enough to play modern/hi bitrate/hi resolution movies ?

- is the remote also working like normal ?

- tell me your opinion please, if you compare iTunes Server/HomeSharing and this Plex method. What do you think about it, pros-cons ?

Thank you very much !
 
dwnldr said:
- is the configuration running stable ? (maybe like the HomeSharing from Mac iTunes, which im still using long long years)

- regarding to guide movies, i need to change the LAN connection parameters on ATV to link to server Mac with library. Is in this case the connection to Internet (YouTube, Apple events etc.) abandoned ? Also the AirPlay capability is gone ?

- i never used Plex, but regarding the informations Plex "library" can handle all the files without converting to iTunes friendly formats (one of the biggest cons of HomeSharing method). Is this right also in this case = it plays via ATV everything ? Are the files than (.avi, .mkv) processed on the server computer or in ATV just like in HomeSharing method ? If in computer, the i5 late2012 should hopefully handle this SILENTLY (the Mac used for Server), if in ATV is the power enough to play modern/hi bitrate/hi resolution movies ?

- is the remote also working like normal ?

- tell me your opinion please, if you compare iTunes Server/HomeSharing and this Plex method. What do you think about it, pros-cons ?
Click to expand...


I ran Plex on an Apple TV 3 for a while, been a few years back though. I'll try to answer as best as I remember --
-Yes, configuration was stable. I use Plex on a 24/7 on Mac mini. I don't remember having any issues with having to restart connections or anything.

-AirPlay I don't know since I really never used it. I'm pretty sure internet connection still worked since I think the hack just passes all traffic through your Plex server?

-Plex handles transcoding on the server side if it needs to. If the client can read the file type natively Plex doesn't need to do anything but send the data straight to the client.

-Yeah, ATV remote worked fine in Plex.

-The hack works but it's basic. The interface isn't that great. No metadata, poster images, etc. I ended up getting a cheap Roku that runs the actual Plex app just because it looks better. I like Plex a lot. Don't have to run everything through Handbrake anymore. Low maintenance, it handles automatically downloading/updating metadata for me.
 
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roidy said:
Check out the OP's video at 8:11, you get full metadata, posters even Plex Pass extras.
Click to expand...

Oh dang, they’ve updated that quite a bit since I used it! Looks good. Almost makes me wish I had kept my Apple TV 3 since that had a much simpler Netflix interface!
 
I don't know the specifics of the ATV3... but I do know I could never get Plex to work well on an ATV4, and if you read all the forums you will see that a lot of people have problems with it. Its easy (and works well) to set up a server on a Mac mini for example, but the problem has always been the client side of the ATV. I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort to make it work... and maybe there is some combination but at the end of the day if it gets that complicated, it doesn't get used. In contrast, Infuse on the ATV works great.
 
dwnldr said:
Dear schlotz, thank you for reply ! I am a Mac user since 15+ years, but i never try this "hack". Therefore are maybe my questions dumb, but i dont want ruin my library or make the whole system unstable-not usefull. So i better ask, if you gave me an option :


- is the configuration running stable ? (maybe like the HomeSharing from Mac iTunes, which im still using long long years)

- regarding to guide movies, i need to change the LAN connection parameters on ATV to link to server Mac with library. Is in this case the connection to Internet (YouTube, Apple events etc.) abandoned ? Also the AirPlay capability is gone ?

- i never used Plex, but regarding the informations Plex "library" can handle all the files without converting to iTunes friendly formats (one of the biggest cons of HomeSharing method). Is this right also in this case = it plays via ATV everything ? Are the files than (.avi, .mkv) processed on the server computer or in ATV just like in HomeSharing method ? If in computer, the i5 late2012 should hopefully handle this SILENTLY (the Mac used for Server), if in ATV is the power enough to play modern/hi bitrate/hi resolution movies ?

- is the remote also working like normal ?

- tell me your opinion please, if you compare iTunes Server/HomeSharing and this Plex method. What do you think about it, pros-cons ?

Thank you very much !
Click to expand...

I've been using Plexconnect and the Plex Media server with my atv3 for a number of years. Both of those apps are running continuously on my iMac. Our current library has well over 600 movies, most of which are Blu-Ray rips. Yes it is very stable although the atv3 seems to act up a little on rare occasions but a reboot of the atv3 always clears it up. The atv3 wants m4v files. It can play mkv but it depends on how they are ripped. Changing the DNS to point to the PMS (plex media server) still allows access to the internet including Apple Events and Airplay still works. ATV does not transcode, that is done via PMS. Your i5 is certainly powerful enough. Again, the real issue will be your ripped movies. They should be in m4v and kept somewhere around 10,000kbps. I rip blu-rays via MakeMKV then use Handbrake with video quality RF=20, Profile=high, Level=4.0, FPS=30. Resulting m4v files usually are around 4-8Gb. They look great on our 55" plasma 1080 tv. Remote works just fine.

Here is a starting point: https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect/wiki/Install-Guide
 
G5isAlive said:
I don't know the specifics of the ATV3... but I do know I could never get Plex to work well on an ATV4, and if you read all the forums you will see that a lot of people have problems with it. Its easy (and works well) to set up a server on a Mac mini for example, but the problem has always been the client side of the ATV. I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort to make it work... and maybe there is some combination but at the end of the day if it gets that complicated, it doesn't get used. In contrast, Infuse on the ATV works great.
Click to expand...
That's interesting. I have the Plex app running on one ATV4 and two ATV4Ks (previously two ATV4s) and don't have any problems.

My Plex Media Server is running on Windows 10, so I don't know if that makes a difference, but as far as the Apple TV app goes, it's spectacular.
 
PilotC150 said:
That's interesting. I have the Plex app running on one ATV4 and two ATV4Ks (previously two ATV4s) and don't have any problems.

My Plex Media Server is running on Windows 10, so I don't know if that makes a difference, but as far as the Apple TV app goes, it's spectacular.
Click to expand...

Issues with Plex app sound buffering stuttering on Apple TV 4 are well documented.. and that Infuse can play files on Apple TV that Plex chokes on... Plex itself admits is App is not as robust as others and that seems to be the crux of the matter, they rely on basic apple codecs whereas others do not.

https://forums.plex.tv/t/appletv-plex-app-always-buffering/314628

of course all this is your mileage may vary depending on your file size, server, etc... I am running on a wired network so that is not a variable, and my other devices have no problem with my Plex server (Mac mini 2012 quad core i7) , so I concluded based on what was out there with other people having problems that it was an App specific issue. This was like 6 months ago. However, in coming up with a link to document what I said, I note that Plex has announced they have a new Apple Ap in beta to fix this! So I may go back and try it .. again.

I agree, the interface is spectacular.. for me it was a performance issue with large blue ray rips. The sound would stutter.
 
G5isAlive said:
Issues with Plex app sound buffering stuttering on Apple TV 4 are well documented.. and that Infuse can play files on Apple TV that Plex chokes on... Plex itself admits is App is not as robust as others and that seems to be the crux of the matter, they rely on basic apple codecs whereas others do not.

https://forums.plex.tv/t/appletv-plex-app-always-buffering/314628

of course all this is your mileage may vary depending on your file size, server, etc... I am running on a wired network so that is not a variable, and my other devices have no problem with my Plex server (Mac mini 2012 quad core i7) , so I concluded based on what was out there with other people having problems that it was an App specific issue. This was like 6 months ago. However, in coming up with a link to document what I said, I note that Plex has announced they have a new Apple Ap in beta to fix this! So I may go back and try it .. again.

I agree, the interface is spectacular.. for me it was a performance issue with large blue ray rips. The sound would stutter.
Click to expand...
Even thought I don't have any problems with it right now that's still really good news! Especially the more robust seeking (with thumbnails) and handling of audio tracks and subtitles.


Back to the topic at hand: Prior to Apple TV 4 I did run PlexConnect. It wasn't ideal but it got the job done to get Plex on the Apple TV. There were literally no other changes to the performance of function of the Apple TV and it ran very stable the whole time.
 
Dear Friends !

Thank you ALL very much for reply ! Some additional questions to discuss :

schlotz - Thank you for usefull informations ! You wrote, that the movies are processed in server (in this case in i5). Why needs to be then the movies in specific format in m4v, or max bitrate etc ? Plex "should" eat everything, or am i wrong ? Or is there performance issue if is the fileformat in avi or mkv with high bitrate ?

The reason for change (sorry for small OT) :
I had an old G4 Mini as iTunes Server for HomeSharing, and it was absolutely perfect ! The HDD was hooked external via FW port maybe 5years, without any trouble. I made a change, maybe week ago for the mentioned i5 with internal 5TB HDD. The reason was the internal HDD option with unlimited capacity, and also the 1000Mb LAN. It runs very well, but... On PowerPC was the last supported OS 10.5.8 Leopard. However, i doesnt need anything else for this kind of use. The i5 Mini supports Mojave so i installed it... BUT, the new iTunes just SUCKS for this kind of use. I cannot edit the metadatas in the right way (as in old iTunes), and the biggest fail : The AppleTV cannot mark the TV Shows/Movies episodes as "watched". The "blue dot" comes immediately back and the only option is to connect to unattended Mini and mark always the episodes as watched. This is really impossible, if you have the multimedia system for the whole family, 2 AppleTVs in home, etc... So therefore i hesitate to change (also the ripping to compatible format is a huge reason, but not so big as the mentioned FAIL). So now i try to find, which way should i go... If i should wait if (maybe) a correction to new iTunes comes / find somehow the right information which is the last iTunes version without this issue and install the correct OS / or try to switch to Plex...
 
Yes there are performance issues associated with file types other than m4v AND with very high bitrates on the atv3. The settings I gave above basically have eliminated those issues in my case. If you are not interested in updating to a newer atv4 your options are going to be very limited. All the talk above regarding the atv4 issues stem from the actual app Plex put out that runs on the atv4. It's poorly done and as others indicated its basically due to them incorporating the apple viewer technology which is severely limited. Best solution with the atv4 is to use the InFuse app on the atv4 with the Plex Media Server which is a very good & solid solution. InFuse is highly active in fixing and updating their app whereas Plex has not with their app, again due to the initial decision to stick with the apple viewer.
 
Last edited:
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Thank you very much for reply ! Upgrading to ATV4 or higher is question of future. At the moment, we have 2 ATV3-s in our house and are absolutely enough for us now. Changing to Plex with mentioned method was my first idea - attempt to find a solution to "bug" in new iTunes. Regarding to your informations about converting to library to M4V is the "Plex option" for me useless. However is my library already in this format (because of iTunes Home Sharing), the ATV3 Plex method brings for us nothing, just fight with new UI, controls etc... The "Multimedia" is used by the whole family, i have to think also on them, not everyone is friend with new things. If the change would be worth for it, that should be other story. That was the reason for asking and receiving from you all the valuable reactions !

Thank you very much !

Greetings from Slovakia
 
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